California

Oregon and California Coast Road Trip - Two Week Itinerary with Free Campsites!

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We embarked on this coastal journey with little or no research so we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.  We’ve been doing this vanlife gig for quite a while and somehow have never explored the stretch of coast from Seaside, Oregon, to San Fransisco, California.  We knew a few things before we embarked. One, being that we don't pay for overpriced state park campsites and two, that September/October usually delivers lots of seldom seen sunshine on this stretch of what some call the Rain Coast.  If you are lucky enough to come across this post, you will not only learn where to camp for free all along this stretch but also, some hidden gems along the way.  The journey began in the hipster capital of the world Portland, Oregon where we’re stocked up on organic veggies and grass fed meats.  Once we overloaded the trucker fridge, we filled up with the last of the cheap diesel and hit the road. 

We like to make it easy for you. So, here is a nice itinerary for those of you who like to plan their trips. We broke it into day spots and camping spots.  The coordinates below are for the sleeping areas only. They are  where we parked overnight.  

Also check out the shorter version of this article here : 15 Free Campsites along the Oregon and Cali Coast

Free Camping Oregon Coast Free Campsites HWY 101

Short Sands Beach and Oswald West State Park (45.744721,-123.960908)

The first day brought us to one of our favorite gems on the north coast Short Sands Beach aka Smugglers Cove.  This was a go to surf spot for us back in our Seattle days, and if you surf you could find yourself sliding across a green wedge where the pine trees meet the sand.  This is also a great beach for a picnic or a day of exploring and relaxing.  There are plenty of easy trails all throughout Oswald West S.P. and it is a great place to either begin or end your coastal journey.  Once you have had your fair share of sun, sand, wind and rain, which can all happen in one day around here, head to the Neahkahnie Viewpoint for your first night right off the highway. Also, get used to these highway stop-over camping spots in Oregon, unless you want to fork over $35 to the State Parks.  There are no toilets here but have no fear there are plenty of options for your #2’s in Manzanita just a few minutes down the hill.  

Free campsites Oregon Coast Free Camping Oregon Coast HWY 101

Pacific City/Brain Booth State Park (44.520991,-124.069295)

Once you begin your journey south from here there are heaps of options on our two favorite camping apps iOverlander and WikiCamps.  We recommend heading along the coast and cruise through the surf town of Pacific City.  If the tide is working in your favor you can park your rig right on the beach and enjoy lunch on the sand and explore the Cape Kiawanda Headlands.   If the swell is looking good have a surf or head to the Pelican Brewery and have a craft brew on the deck.  From here you have plenty of options as you head south there are plenty of roadside vista points and cozy beach towns.  We decided to head down a bit to Brian Booth State Park.  Although this is a day use area you will have to use your best judgement on whether or not you wish to stay here.  We camped on the east side of the park near the river access and had no trouble there are pit toilets here as well so that makes life easy in the morning.  

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Cruising the 101’s vista points / Whiskey Run Bike Trails (43.218854,-124.342054)

Waking up earlier is always a good idea when you are poaching the day use areas.  We got on the road and headed down the 101 stoping at as many scenic overlooks as possible.  Our first stop was Seal Rock.  We spotted people collecting mussels so we grabbed a bag a knife and walked down to the tide pools.  We grabbed around 20 mussels and headed down to the next day use area cooked them and headed on our way.  There’s some fun stop overs along the way and a few day use spots where you could easily stealth camp.  We were there in the low season and a lot of these areas seemed too remote and not very busy and seemed to have lower ranger activity so we felt they could be prime for a night.  We checked out the sand dunes, and a few other beach areas.  If you are into organic produce there is a Natural Grocers in Coos Bay and the fridge was restocked.  We headed to the Whiskey Run Bike Trails up in the hills and per Oregon standards there was a no overnight parking sign but as usual we ignored it and stayed the night here.  We rode the trails in the morning and had a blast if you have a mountain bike and want to ride some nice professional built flowy trails this is right off the 101 and  you will be stoked you stoped.  

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Bandon Beach / Bandon Beach Streets (43.110550,-124.432711)

Just down the road is the majestic shores of Bandon Beach.  Upon arrival you may think you have arrived to a beach on a far away land.  the sun was shinning the weather was sweet so we decided to slow down the pace and explore the beach.  We recommend taking a cruise along this beach and check out all the caves and rock formations.  There is not a restroom at the main Bandon Beach parking area but just a bit down the way at Face Rock State Park there is a Restroom and a nice picnic table and beach access as well.  We noticed while in Bandon that most of the homes are vacation rentals.  So we thought no one would know that we are camping on their street.  Since it seemed to be low season we just stealth parked the rig above the beach on a parking space with quite the overlook.  In the morning we headed to Face Rock State Park to use the clean and nice bathrooms and headed out of town.  

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Samual H. Boardman / Indian Sands Trail (42.157399,-124.361562)

The Samual H. Boardman State Park is an incredible state park and a the most photographed area on the coast.  We explored the area the whole day two short hikes that are wort checking out are Secret Beach and Indian Sands.  We ended up staying in the Indian Sands Day Use parking lot and once again had zero issues.  

Brookings / Smith River Camping (42.157399,-124.361562)

We headed into Brookings after seeing there was a farmers market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Unfortunately this market was nothing to write home about so we headed to town to the local Grocery Outlet and Fred Meyer.  We recommend gassing up at the Indian Casino south of Brookings before you get raped by the California gas prices.   We went to the Oregon welcome center and the nice folks recommended checking out the Smith River.  We found a nice spot via iOverlander right on the Smith River with access to a nice swimming hole.  We made a fire met a Basque traveler @laidagoe who joined us for some kooky adventures.  

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Stout Grove / Lost Rocks (42.157399,-124.361562)

If you venture into the Smith River area we highly recommend checking out Stour Grove in  Jedidiah Smith State Park.  We drove the long way into Crescent City on the 8 mile dirt road and it was well worth it.  From Crescent City we continued on down the wooded coast to Lost Rocks where we would spend the next 2 nights.  There are picnic tables and fire pits on the beach and we really enjoyed our stay.  We also went climbing in the Promontory just about 1/4 mile up the beach.  It was an amazing setting for a climb and to be able to wrap it up with a day on the beach was magical.  We gained another traveler this night and headed south after two relaxing nights at the beach.  

Free Camping California Coast HWY 1 Free Campsites

Moonstone Beach (42.157399,-124.361562)

We heard about Moonstone Beach from our friends who live in Arcata so we went to see what the hype was all about.  Upon arrival we were pretty stoked with the scenery of the beach with the Little River meeting the surging tide.  It was a great place for a swim as well as top rope climbing.  We ended up staying here two nights as well right in the parking lot.  Although people told us that we cant camp there we did and had no issues.  Just clean up your mess and be a good neighbor,  

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Avenue of the Giants / Big Tree Grove (40.350409,-123.991959)

We headed into Mckenlyville as soon as one of our new favorite grocery stores opened Eureka Natural Foods we piled the cart full of the freshest greens and produce we’ve seen in a while and plenty of Organ Meats to keep the mitochondria thriving.  From here we headed to the Avenue of the Giants and on to the Big Tree Grove where we would stay for the night.  Here in this grove is where you will find the tallest trees in the world.  The redwoods are powerful and we soaked up as much of there energy as we could store and headed on our way. 

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Garberville Farmers Market / Roadside pull over HWY 1 (39.694736,-123.798595)

After a morning of mindfulness and good conversations we headed down the 101 to only accidentally stumble upon a farmers market this was the Gaberville market we bought some clams and some more greens and headed to HWY 1.  Once we made it to HWY 1 we were ready to prepare some food so we pulled over on one of the first pullovers we saw that was empty and we cooked some dinner (chicken hearts) and passed out.  We woke up to beautiful sunny weather the next day and tried not to launch our van off the road as we cruised the rig south.  

Free Camping along HWY 1 California Free campsites California Coast

Glass Beach / Point Arena Lighthouse (38.943371,-123.732553)

We spot our good buddy Niel’s van and pulled over and started a new caravan soon Van Jesus was there as well and the band was back together!  We cruised down to Glass Beach where we hoarded as much of the pebbly sea glass that we could fit in our vans.  In the parking lot we checked iOverlander and found a nice spot down the road.  We stoped at some pull offs before arriving at Point Arena Lighthouse.  Here we would stay 3 nights and enjoy the iconic view of a historic lighthouse erecting out of plateau where the land meets the sea.  There is plenty of opportunities for whale watching here and if you look off the rocks the seals will be living the good life laying out absorbing some vitamin D.  

Free Camping Sonoma Coast Free Campsites California Coast HWY 1 Camping

Sonoma Coast Road Side Pull Off (38.489223,-123.189684)

From here south it’s going to get tricky on finding free campsites.  The camping here is harder to find and is more likely to be roadside pullouts but there are some nice ones.  Just North of Jenner we found an amazing hill side pull out where we spent a afternoon and night watching the wales migrate while the sunset did it’s thinning the Next day we headed down to Goat Rock Beach, 

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Goat Rock Beach / Jenner Roadside Camping (38.452503,-123.128298)

After a peaceful and amazing night overlooking the ocean high up on the bluffs we headed down to the small town of Jenner about 5 miles.  We spent the day at the Goat Rock Beach Parking lot enjoying the sunshine and amenities at the beach.  We did some yoga and then headed up to the upper parking lot for the night.  Here we were asked to leave by the police around 8pm and we found a last second campsite just right outside of the town of Jenner on the side of the road.  Not an ideal spot but we had no issues here.  

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Goat Rock Climbing / Palomarin Trailhead (37.930389,-122.742040)

We were able to find some fun and mellow rock climbing and bouldering at Goat Rock State Beach.  While all these climbs are short we had a good time enjoying the views and sunshine wile we climbed around the small rocks here at the Park.  Once we were done climbing we made the treck one of our longest rides of the trip down to the small quant beach town of Bolinas.  Here you will find one of the most amazing organic farm stands on the coast.  The Bolinas Farm Stand is an honor system produce stand with all the produce you could imagine.  We stocked up on all kinds of organic treats and headed to the Palomarin Trailhead.  This is not by any means a free campsite and you have to be a seasoned van lifer to pull this one off without getting in trouble with the authorities.  Park Rangers came by about 3 times per day but no one patrolled the area at night.  Just don't let them catch you in the morning they will give you a ticket.  We just did the vanlife shuffle moving the van form one lot to the other to trick the park rangers.  There are many trails here to enjoy.  We enjoyed our bounty of organic food and stayed two nights here practicing Yoga and meditation while we enjoyed the silence that the Palomarin Nature had to offer us.  

Free Camping HWY 1 Muir Beach Free campsites hwy 1 california

Stinson Beach / Roadside Pull off Hwy 1 Near Muir Beach (37.870438,-122.590238)

After two peaceful days at Palomarin we headed down to Stinson Beach for the day. Then that night we just found another road side pull over just a few minutes from Muir Beach which would be out destination the next day. 

Muir Beach Free Campsites Free camping california coast

Muir Beach / Sausalito Parking Lot #3 (37.857649,-122.480807)

We woke up early and got to Muir Beach very early right after sunrise.  This was a good thing because the parking lot packed out at about 9am.  We got a premier spot right at the front of the beach.  We enjoy the whole day we cooked gourmet food left over from the Bolinas Farm Stand and enjoyed an amazing sunset.  From here we moved on to meet our good friend Phil aka @Sprinter_on_the_move.  He showed us a promising spot to camp for the night.  Not the most legal but we got away with it for the night.  From here we headed back up to Auburn to the shop to finish our Sprinter Van project.  

This was an amazing trip and the weather was great for us we only had 2 days of rainy weather and the rest of the trip was full of sunshine and tranquility.  This is just an outline of our itinerary all in all I think it was an over three week trip and we linked up with multiple different vanlife friends along the way.  It was a an amazing experience that we were glad to finally check off the bucket list.  We hope this helps make your coastal trip easier as we found it very difficult to fins free campsites along this stretch.  To keep places like these free and un paroled please clean up your mess and be a good neighbor.  

The one bit of advice we can give you in most of these “campsites” since they are all day use only is to get up early and act as if you arrived in the morning then the authorities can’t really do anything unless they catch you in the act of sleeping at night.  We only had the one issue at Goat Rock which we expected but we were feeling brave that night.  

Happy Travels!

San Diego Vanlife: 5 Best Daytime Van Spots around San Diego 

San Diego Van Life Parking Spots

We spent about 2 and a half months in our van in San Diego. It really brought us back to our early days in the van, beach bummin’ around Australia. The good vibes were high in San Diego it was a hard place to peel our selves away from. Here are five of our favorite spots to hang out in the van during the day. 

#1 - Law Street Beach, PB

Law Street Beach Van Parking overnight

Law Street in Pacific Beach, if you were looking for us, you could probably find us here. We would get up at 5 am to get our choice of the perfect parking spot here. Why was this our favorite spot?

The Beach is at your doorstep, yoga is at your door step, the Tuesday Farmers Market is right down the boardwalk away, you have your choice of two laundry mats that are both a walk away (so you don’t have to lose your parking spot). Too many reasons to name why this place is awesome.  

  • Surf at Law Street BeachOne of which is that Law street Beach has Parallel Waterfront Parking for about 15-20 cars. So, get there early. This is a local surf spot. So people come here all throughout the day to surf and check the surf. Neighbors will arrive by golf cart when it is looking good to squeeze in parking anywhere. If you don’t know how to surf, there is the San Diego Surf School that gives lessons if you are into learning to surf. 

  • Yoga on the Cliff with @namasteveyoga

If you do get one of those parking spots on Tuesday’s, Thursdays (@10am), Saturday, and Sunday’s (9am) @namasteveyoga puts on a “by-donation only” Yoga session on the grass overlooking the water down below. It is probably my all time favorite yoga class I have ever been to! He says things like, “Yoga poses are simulated stressful events, if we can learn to breathe in stressful poses, here, we can learn to breathe in stressful situations in life. This is a practice.” 

  • Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmer’s Market

On Tuesday’s, on Bayard St between Garnet and Grand, from 2pm-7pm, year-round, rain-or-shine, Farmer’s Market goes down with some yummy local delicacies. 

  • Laundry

Laundry is a thing that we van lifers do during the day so why not make it near a cool beach where you park your car next to your other van friends, right? Well this one is about a 8-10 minute walk from Law Street. There are two laundry mats, one next to the Little Caesar’s and Cass Cleaners, on the corner of Cass St and Loring St. That one has the best wifi chill area and their Laundry machines take debit and credit cards! No more scrounging for change in the van! 

The other laundry mat, across from Java Earth Cafe, next to the 7/11, there’s that one, but it is a standard laundry mat, change nothing special to say about it other than it is close to your Law street parking. Change only. 

#2 - Ocean Beach, San Diego

Ocean Beach San Diego Van Parking Overnight
  • Dog Beach in OB

If you own a pup and live in your van, this place is great! There is a dog beach where all the dogs can run wild, dig holes, chase balls, hump other bigger dogs, show em who’s boss, you know dog things. They can do them all here, just remember to pick up after your dogs, unless they bury it! I’ve seen that and I’m alright with that catlike behavior ;)

  • Volleyball

There are heaps of sand volleyball courts here. I don’t play volleyball, but there were heaps of people out playing for fun on a weekend day. 

  • Cafes and Shops: 

There is a Apple Tree Supermarket on Newport. If you need re-stock on some food items and don’t want to lose your parking spot, you can hit this place up. This OB area is also one of those places where if you get a spot, and good one, keep it. You can walk, bike, skate anywhere you need. There are heaps of cool little beach shops and vibey little shops along Newport, as well as some great bars for Live music. 

  • Farmers Market Wednesdays

If I am in the San Diego area and I am not at this Farmers Market, I am either blowing it or I am at the Carlsbad Farmers Market, another one of our favorites. But, OB Wednesday night farmers market has heaps of endless samples for your Vanlife empty belly. There is live music and at the end of Newport, on the grass before the beach, there is a drum circle that goes until 10pm. There are fire spinners, hula hoopers, dancing children, slack liners, anything and everything self expression. This is probably one of my favorite things to do on a Wednesday in San Diego. So many things going on in OB on a Wednesday. There is usually a live music Show at Winston’s after the drum circle is broken up, if you want to keep the party going!

  •  Sunset Cliffs Natural Park 

If you want to go a little farther past OB, there is awesome area called Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. There are little parking lots off to the west side of Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Many people chose this area for quick awesome weddings. We’ve seen a few. While you are there, check out Sunset Cliff Cave and Cabrillo National Monument!

  • Mission Bay- Slack-lining, waterfront Van chillin, community fire pits, and Van Meetups! 

Mission Bay this place was another place we chilled at a lot. Bonita Cove, Mariner’s Point Park, Mission Beach, Fiesta Island. There were really too many places to name where we felt like home. 

Some of the highlights in this area include: Slack Lining, Waterfront Chillin’ with plenty of nearby public restrooms, Fiesta Island Van Meet up.

In Bonita Cove, there is a pretty legit sand pit with poles for rigging up some slack lining. Lots of really talented people slacking it up. 

If you are a van lifer or interested in Vanlife, there is a sweet meet up that happens every other month, on the last Saturday of the month at Fiesta Island. It is put on by @theladiesvan, from Instagram, and tons of people show up! Fiesta Island is also an amazing place to pull up on to mission may beachside and chill all day and cap off the day with a fire pit chill session. 

Almost every beach in Mission Bay has a community fire pit. If you are trying to stay warm outside of your van, there are plenty of welcoming people you can share a fire with or make your own!

#3 - Carlsbad, CA

Carlsbad California Camping

We love us some Carlsbad chillin. We usually park on Carlsbad Blvd overlooking the water and again, walk every where that we want to go. 

One place in particular we always want to go is the Carlsbad Wednesday Farmers Market on State Street, from 3-7pm. There is live music, great samples, and local yummy foods. 

Don’t forget to hit up the Choice Juice Container! That place has amazing raw food, smoothies, and smoothie bowls. 

#4 - Swami’s Sunday Drum Circle in Encinitas,

San Diego Car Camping Swamis

So if you went to the Farmers Market In OB and enjoyed the Drum Circle, there is another Drum Circle at Swami’s in Encinitas. Smaller more intimate drum circle than the Ocean Beach Drum Circle. Jump in, dance, hula, juggle, self express!

Swami’s is also a notorious local surf break. So bring your wetty and board and be ready to hit some all time waves with awesome coastal views. 

#5 - Blacks Beach, San Diego

Blacks Beach Overnight Van Camping

Blacks Beach is a great place to Surf (not exactly for the beginner tho), watch the sunset, or  watch paragliders taking off and flying around like kites in the air. When we were at this particular beach for the first time, there happened to be some music and vendors in the Park. There were people twirling ribbons, dancing and having fun until the sun went down. 

On another particular time, we were at Blacks Beach and we saw some Bio-luminescence in the water at night. Needless to say Black’s Beach hasn’t let us down and has been quite manageable!

Highway 395 Eastern Sierra - Hot Springs, Gems, and Rock Climbing

@lifeofkuhl Cruising Down HWY 395

The backside of the Sierra is littered with amazing scenery, hot springs, rock climbing, and everything an outdoor enthusiast needs. 

Hot Springs

Near Bridgeport, CA, are the Travertine Hot Springs. While they can be crowded, this place is beautiful.  The natural rock formations really make an amazing hot springs environment.  

Just south, on 395, near the Mammoth Airport is a green church. If you take that road, it will take you to the Whitmore Hot Springs Area. There is a high concentration of man made hot springs that vary from warm to hot.  While we haven't been to all the hot springs in this area, we have been to most.  Our favorites are the Rock Tub, for best views, and Shepard Hot Springs, for the perfect temp.  

Earth Treasures

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A great short hike to a crater that was formed from a hotspot and is actually part of some of the youngest volcanic mountains in the US.  The Panum Crater is full of Obsidian and Pumice and is a great place to hunt for earth treasures.   

Rock Climbing in Alabama Hills

Alabama Hills Free Camping

This is some of the best BLM camping in California.  Alabama Hills are littered with rocks, climbing routes, a few bouldering spots, and plenty of scrambling. This place is vanlife heaven.  A great place for beginners to start climbing in Alabama hills is at Paul’s Backyard, for a variety of easier climbs. We actually camped at Paul’s Backyard and left our ropes up for a few days and climbed as we pleased.   If you are ready to step it up a few notches, the Shark Fin is a iconic climb in the area as well.  There are hundreds of routes at this world class climbing playground. 

Check out a video of us traveling through the area with @lifeofkuhl

Golden Gate National Recreation Area Best Photo Spots

We set off with very talented videographer Benton Inscoe to capture footage from around the Golden Gate National Recreation Area for his piece "A Day in the Bay"  just outside of San Francisco.  This is footage all shot in San Francisco and the Golden Gate NRA.  From secluded beaches, amazing headlands, redwood forest, and the amazing views of San Francisco we can see why this is one of the most used public spaces in the country. 

Our top 5  favorite spots in this area are

  1. Marin Headlands

  2. Bolinas Beach

  3. Palomarin Trails

  4. Muir Woods

  5. Mount Tamalpais

Photo taken from Marin Headlands in the Golden Gate NRA

Photo taken from Marin Headlands in the Golden Gate NRA

ABQ to Burningman Road Trip

Mono Lake Camping

After getting the Subaru all rigged up for the road with a fold out bed and other accessories (Check it out here), we took it out to Black Rock City for our annual pilgrimage to Burning Man.  We don’t stay in the Subaru at Burning Man. We build a hexayurt, although we have tried the car and it was miserable.  (More info on hexayurts here)  We’ve only traveled to BM from California and Washington, so coming from New Mexico was going to be a mission. We figured we would break it up into a road trip.  So all you New Mexico burners out there, we found a pretty awesome and fun route with multiple stopovers on your way to BRC.

Sedona

Sedona Devils Bridge

Our first stop was a five hour cruise over to Sedona. Being our first time in Sedona, we had no idea what to do. So, we headed to the Dry Creek Area for some exploration.  We wanted to see Devil’s Bridge, but we knew it would be swarmed with people since it is one of the top hikes and easiest in Sedona. Plus, it has jeep trail access. So you already know the Pink Jeeps are blowing this spot up.  So, we explored the surrounding exotic red rock territory until sunset and then headed up to Devils Bridge after sunset.  Per usual, on our way up everyone was heading down, we got to the bridge and had it to ourselves once the stars were coming out.  We shot a few photos, watched the stars, and had a drink.  We were getting very comfortable until we saw a few scorpions, so we decided to head down.  We drove to Forest Road 525, off  HW-89, for some free camping.  We drove past the first few occupied pull offs and found our own exclusive spot and set up for the night.  We woke up, cooked breakfast, and headed out towards our next destination. 

Trona Pinnacles

We made the long haul from Sedona to the Trona Pinnacles in Death Valley.  It’s best to arrive at the Trona Pinnacles later in the day, around sunset, because the late summer daytime temperatures are boiling.  It was about 102 degrees at 7pm, when we pulled up.  We braved the heat and shot some magic hour photos and set up the rig for another night.  Thankfully, for us, it cooled down at night and we slept without the rainfly to have an amazing star show that night.  If you’ve never heard of the Trona Pinnacles, it's a pretty cool place to stop over for a night of camping in Death Valley.  We woke up and headed for HWY 385 that heads up the heart of the Sierra Nevada.  

Highway CA 385

This is some of my favorite stretches of highway, for life on the road.  There are so many amazing and scenic spots throughout this area.  We stopped in Lone Pine for some supplies. If you have extra time, you must camp at Alabama Hills, outside of Lone Pine, it’s one of our all time favorite campsites.  We headed up the 395 for some hot spring action.  There are plenty of hot springs out here, you just have to find them and it’s not very hard. Whitmore Springs area is just one area with multiple hotsprings, some you can camp near. After soaking in three different tubs in the area, we found a campsite around June Lake. We stayed at a free site that wasn't anything special, but it was free and in route!  The next morning and headed towards Yosemite. 

Yosemite - Tuolumne Meadows

We’ve been to Yosemite many times, but we've never been to Yosemite from the East Entrance.  We thought it would be a better to head to Tuolumne Meadows during peak season since the Valley is a nightmare in late August.  Unfortunately for us, there was some serious smoke from a forest fire and we had to bail on hiking Clouds Rest.  So, we headed to the info center to get some tips on where to find something that would have better visibility.  We debated an overnight, but decided with all the smoke we should just hit a day hike and get out of the smoked out valley.  We chose Lembert Dome which ended up being a great hike considering the conditions and it was relatively short and easy for the awesome reward. We were actually really stoked on Tuolumne Meadows, on the backside of Yosemite. It’s really nice with half the crowds and you are able to get an amazing perspective of the Yosemite Valley from fairly easy hikes, and roadside pullovers .  

Jeffery Pine Camping

We headed out and talked with someone at the visitor center in Lee Vining that recommended Jeffery Pine Forest for a nice overnight camping stop over.  After about and hour + of adventuring around this area on the dirt roads, thank god we were in the Subaru,  we finally stumbled across one of our best campsites of the trip.  We were able to get lucky and find a pretty rough road along a ridge to our own little hilltop camping spot.  We set up and enjoyed a smoked out sunset cooked and slept in the car that night because it was a bit cold still in the high country.

Mono Lake 

After our camp at Jeffery Pine, we headed down to Mono Lake to see the famous Tufa formations in the morning before a bunch of people showed up. There were some kayakers on the water, but there was no one walking around yet. If you have not been to Mono Lake, this place is crazy. It's actually hard to explain, but it is worthy of taking 30-45 mins to pull over and check out how crazy the earth is. Although we missed both magic hour's at this spot, I am sure that Mono Lake would be pure magic for sunrise and sunset.

Panum Crater 

After Mono Lake, we stopped at Panum Crater, after seeing signs for it exiting the South Tufa area of Mono Lake. So, we decided to take the dirt road and check it out. The trail head starts out on a rough pumice trail that leads to the rim.  0.2 miles of further hiking will take you to the spectacular obsidian core of the volcano that erupted over 600 years ago. Fun fact we learned on the trail, dependent on how rapid the cooling process is, lava becomes Pumice or Obsidian. It is crazy the cooling process can change the look and feel of a rock so significantly! 

Camp Happy Hour Burningman

Tahoe - BRC

We headed out that morning to soak in the Travertine Hot Springs.  After a nice mud soak, we headed out to the Tahoe area to meet up with a good friend of ours.  We had great timing, as we arrived he was at an art car fundraiser for Burning Man, so we got to get in the groove and even got our first gift at the event.  From here, you could head to Reno and skip Tahoe however, we had to begin the prep for our camp “Camp Happy Hour” based in Auburn, California. So we headed out to Auburn to begin the prep and the final haul to the Playa.  

Southwest Desert Road Trip

We arrived in LAX after our trip abroad and were ready to get back on the road.  We were fortunate enough that our good friend Omar was in need of an adventure.  We joined forces and decided that we should tour the Desert SW back to our hometown Albuquerque, NM.  It was late April, so we figured the weather wouldn't be too hot.  We crammed all our gear in to Omar's Jeep Cherokee and began our to be 1,600+ mile road trip with 0 plans, but to have fun and explore new countryside.  We left the first port city of Venice, CA, after some amazing surf and headed towards our first desert alien landscape.  

Camping at Joshua Tree NP

We entered the Joshua Tree orbit around noon.  The first thing I would highly advise is buying the $80 America the Beautiful pass. It worked at almost every planet we landed on.  We bought our pass headed to Big Rocks Campground ($15 per site).  J-Tree is a mix of exotic granite rock formations and awkward Joshua Trees scattered throughout this bizarre landscape as far as the eye can see.  This is a great place for rock climbing and Scrambling around.  We explored and climbed around at the Hall of Horrors and Hidden Valley. We would definitely recommend these two spots.  There is amazing rock climbing, scrambling, and photo options at these spots.   

That night we stayed up a bit for star gazing and photography, but were shut down by a thin as cloud layer.  We woke up and cruised for a while on the Geology Tour Road to check out the park more, explore, and take some pictures.  After about an hour or driving, we left J Tree’s orbit and blasted off to another dimension.

Camping rock climbing hiking Alabama Hills BLM

The Alabama Hills BLM land outside of Lone Pine, CA, is camping heaven.  Upon surveillance, this alien landscape seemed to be something out of another galaxy.  Amidst the enormous rock fields, stands Mt. Whitney, at 14,505ft, looming down on the valley below.  ‘Bama Hills is on BLM land where dispersed camping is allowed.  However, it is on you to clean up after yourself. There are no toilets. So, come prepared.  

After our first night of camping, we woke up and did the very short loop hike to the Mobius Arch.  We then headed up to the Mount Whitney Portal to check out some hikes.  After a heavy snow season, we were shut down pretty quick on the trails up at the Whitney Portal.  We did learn that permits for hiking Whitney in the summer are required. So, look into obtaining one before you head up. 

After some 4x4 and beers, at an old cowboy bar in Lone Pine, we arrived at a very wind destroyed campsite.  After getting camp set back up, we settled in for what was one of our windiest nights of the trip.  We woke up the next day had breakfast and hit the road for a long haul to Nevada. 

Death Valley National Park

We exited the Alabama Hills solar system and hit hyperdrive and time warped to a new desert planet. Death Valley is a drive through park, meaning a majority of the experience is driving through the park, at least in the summer.  I could imagine some amazing activities in the other seasons. 

We stopped and made lunch at one of the first outpost we saw.  It was already heating up and I couldn't imagine this place in the midst of summer.  We set down our landing gear on the Beatty Sand Dunes and walked until the footprints started to subside it was already 96 degrees in late May.  Down the road a bit is Zabriskie Point, which is an amazing overlook over the Zabriskie Badlands.  There looks to be an amazing hike, if you were around in the fall/winter and it was cooler, but the heat was too much. So, we just took a few pictures and explored for a bit before we headed on. 

Red Rocks State Park Nevada

A few miles outside the bright lights of The Las Vegas Spaceport lies a gem known as Red Rock Canyon.  The mars like terrain will have you feeling as if you were actually on the red planet.  If you want to score a campsite at the Red Rock Canyon Campsite ($10 Per Site) you better be there early.  We showed up and it was completely full.  We ended up having some fellow travelers allow us to stay with them since they were just crashing in their amazing van.  We got in set up camp cooked and had a good chat with our neighbors.  We woke up the next day and headed into Red Rocks Canyon.  We hiked around Calico Basin for about 3 hours climbing and scrambling around and getting lost in dark red slot canyons.  We cruised around the park took in the views and started our auto pilot for Las Vegas.  

Valley of Fire Las Vegas Nevada

After indulging in provisions in the wild space port Las Vegas, it was time to set our sights on a new frontier.  We set out for St. George, but as most vessels leaving Vegas, we had a very delayed take off.  We headed toward Lake Mead and our radar picked up the Valley of Fire State Park.  We decide to veer off track and check it out.  We arrived late and the gates were open.  Driving through this park seems like something out of the Martian.  There seems to be lots of hiking activities in the park.  Its even amazing just driving though it if it’s a blistering hot summer day.  After little or no trip research, we headed straight to the Fire Wave.  It takes about 20 minutes to walk to this rock formation with amazing rock coloring.  We shot pictures until it was too dark and headed on.  That night we slept in the middle of nowhere, where a dirt road ended, definitely the worst campsite of the trip, but it was free.  

Zion National PArk Angels Landing

Zion is an amazing place!  I had no idea the size of this park before arriving.  Massive sandstone peaks with names like The Great White Throne, and The Alter of Sacrifice tower over a thousand feet above the valley floor.  Per usual, we were very unprepared for the busy National Park and had no reservations or any clue what we were going to do inside the park.  We got very lucky scoring a spot in the Zion South Campsite later in the day, (We literally just asked someone if they would share with us because of course the site was full.)

We set up a quick camp and set out for the Hidden Canyon Trail.  The Zion Canyon Road is only accessible via a shuttle system but it’s fast and effective.  We took the Shuttle to the Weeping Rock Stop.  The hike up to the Hidden Canyon is an awesome track that exposes you to trails along huge cliff faces.  It is a climb to access the Hidden Canyon, but it’s not anything too difficult.  We went up and back in about 3 hours.  If we had more daylight we would have done the trail to Observation Point, which is supposed to be on of Zion’s best overlooks.  

We woke up the next day, ate breakfast and prepared snacks and provisions for Narrows and Angels Landing.  Unfortunately for us, The Narrows were closed due to high water levels.  We didn't want to hike Angels Landing in the middle of the day due to crowds. So, we hung out in the valley for a bit and headed to Angels Landing around 4pm. 

The trail to Angels Landing is 2.4 miles.  It begins at the Grotto drop off point.  The hike up to Angels Landing isn't too difficult it is all uphill, but it’s paved and it's a really nice trail.  On the Angels Landing Trail, after you head up Walter’s Wiggles, if you have a fear of heights, you may struggle in points.  You basically hike along a knife ridge, with the valley 1,400 feet below you, with only chains to hold onto.  After a half mile of high risk hiking, you reach the 5,790 feet summit of Angels Landing and you will be glad you did this hike.  The views from Angels Landing across the valley of the Great White Throne towering overhead are amazing.  You will literally feel like an ant on top of this rock formation.  It’s a hike you will definitely want to do while in Zion.  We headed down and luckily caught the last shuttle back to the campsite.  

Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

We left Planet Zion late as expected with our Crew and set auto pilot for Bryce Canyon.  We set up camp right outside of the park off of forest road 1173 where we saw other people camping.  We set up camp rested a bit then drove into the park.  

We once again flashed our America the Beautiful card, that we already made our money back on, and headed towards Sunset Point.  We started with the Navajo Loop trail that takes you down to the Valley Floor and up through Wall Street canyon, named for obvious reasons. 

We hoped in our lunar rover and headed to the Bryce Overlook viewpoint for sunset.  Bryce Canyon is the Grand Canyon’s younger smaller hippie brother.  This place has some of the most interesting and trippy hoodoo rock formations in the US.  Bryce Canyon would be an amazing place to do some backcountry camping and we wished we were more prepared with permits and such to partake in what must be an incredible experience.  

Burr Trail Escalante Staircase National Monument

From Bryce, we originally set sights on the Grand Canyon North Rim, but the park wasn't open yet. So, we decided to go off a hot tip from another traveler and check out a road less traveled.   The Burr Trail is in the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument and is a road that access some amazing opportunity for freedom camping in areas. 

The strips of pastel pinks, whites, and, reds confirmed that we were in Jupiter’s orbit.  We were sucked straight into the this landscape as if we were imbedded into a transcendentalistpainting.  We first headed to Kiva Koffeehouse before we headed to Calf Creek Falls.  We highly recommend checking out this little gem of a cafe with amazing views of the Escalante River Valley.  The trail to Calf Creek Falls is easy and along the valley.  It’s an awesome little hike and the waterfall is like an oasis in the desert.  We camped in the BLM land along the Burr Trail overlooking Long Canyon.  The next day we headed out on one of the more scenic drives of the trip along the Burr Trail.  We stopped along the way to witness thunderstorms sweep across the desert landscape.  Originally, as we set out that day, we felt like going deep into the belly of the desert.  We set out for a pin on the map to put the Jeeps 4x4 to the test.  We set out for Moody Canyon with a stop at the Wolverine Petrified Forest.  

The journey out to Moody Canyon is a long one and you could possibly go a few days without seeing anyone in certain times of the year.  With the being said, I would advise to have emergency food/water and a back up batter charger or way to jump your car if you needed to.  We found an amazing campsite overlooking Moody Canyon.  The road was easily manageable in the Jeep, but wouldn't be possible in a camper van.  We were isolated out on the desert and it felt amazing. We cooked and enjoyed a moonlit campsite. 

Capitol Reef National Park Utah

We jetted out early in the morning so we could enjoy a few activities in the Capitol Reef National Park before we headed toward the Utah/Colorado border for the night.  The drive through Capital Reef is pretty spectacular on its own.  We wished we had planned better and spent some more time in this area.  We randomly stopped and did the hike as far as we could up Surprise Canyon.  I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick day activity while heading down south along the Burr Trail.  

We made breakfast in the parking lot at Surprise Canyon and headed out to catch out ferry across Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which we our America the Beautiful pass worked for!  We enjoyed a quick swim at Stanton Creek, near Bullfrog before we caught our ferry which was a reasonable $20.  

Muley Point and the goose necks

Thanks to a mixture of freecampsites.net and WIkiCamps, we found the most incredible campsite at Muley Point overlooking the San Juan Goose Necks.  We watched a massive lightning storm roll through Monument Valley with enough charge to make all the hair on our heads stick straight up into the air.  We got in late had inclement weather.  So, we set up camp and fell asleep.  

Muley Point San Juan Goosenecks

Durango 

From Muley Point, you can head through Monument Valley which is only 20 miles away and head down into Arizona or you can head into Colorado and one of my favorite mountain towns Durango.  Dani and I have family in Durango. So, we enjoyed relaxing and catching up.  Omar got sick. So we returned to Albuquerque, after a year and a half of being abroad.  Our original plan included one more stop at Bisti Badlands for a few nights but we lost our captain to a stomach bug.